Counting System Prevents Retention of Surgical Sponges

ClearCount Medical Solutions’ patented SmartSponge System based on radio frequency identification (RFID) received Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance.
According to the company, the SmartSponge System is the world's first RFID system that detects and counts surgical sponges and towels during surgical procedures.
The system is a novel, RFID-based solution that was designed after extensive work with nurses and surgeons at leading healthcare institutions. It uses Texas Instruments Inc.’s Tag-it HF-I portfolio of high-frequency products to automate the process of managing surgical sponges during surgery. The sponges are permanently affixed with passive RFID tags smaller than a dime.
The SmartSponge System allows users to simultaneously count and differentiate between types of sponges and does not require a line-of-sight between the reader and tags.